Welcome, Friends of the River Banks

Friends of the River Banks (FORB) is a local all-volunteer group that formed to share our appreciation of our neighborhood stretch of the American River Parkway--Sutter's Landing Park--with others, especially young children and their families. We do this through regular events that encourage the public to come out, experience the river, and value the natural ecosystem. These wonderfully enriching activities provide family time, healthy exercise, play, education, social networking, nature experiences, and lots of fun. Please leave your dogs at home and carpool/bike/walk if possible.

Our gatherings are very casual. We usually have a leader--a local expert who will teach us about some aspect of nature--but the activities always take unexpected turns. We never know what we will see. There have been otters, turtles, coyotes, sea lions, beavers, deer, turkeys, birds of all types, and fascinating insects. Each year we follow our neighborhood Swainson's Hawks, which nest in the riparian forest along this stretch of the American River Parkway.

Beyond observing and enjoying, FORB also acts as stewards of this part of the river. As such, we are working with the City to keep this area wild and healthy. We have also started a restoration project, removing invasive plants and trees and planting native grasses and forbs. We participate in the Great American River Clean-up each September, supplemented by our own periodic clean-ups.

All are welcome to join our gatherings. We generally meet each second Saturday at the Sutter's Landing Park parking lot. Sutter's Landing Park is at the VERY end of 28th Street by the skateboard park. For our schedule of events and more details, see the calendar. You can get on the FORB email list for periodic notices about our activities by sending your email address to Laurie. Note FORB has a new twitter account for sharing information too. Be sure to check our blog reguarly for more insight on recent FORB events and other activities in the Parkway.

*********************

Coming Up Next: 32nd Annual Wildlife Count on Dec. 3rd Coming Up Fast!"Team Otter" will join the fun at Sutter's Landing Park and participate in the count again this year. We'll be out again on December 3rd, bright and early and divide up in small groups and note all birds and other wildlife seen over the next few hours. We will be recording counts of all birds and reporting our counts via eBird. A full report will be provided here later. You don't have to be an expert to participate and it's easy to help with the count.​Check out FORB's new iNaturalist webpage and add your observations with this free smartphone/computer software.FORB Calendar for 2016

Directions: head north on 28th Street, cross C and then the railroad tracks. Continue to the last parking lot where the park abuts the American River Parkway.

September 17—Great American River CleanupThis month, FORB piggybacked on the Great American River Cleanup on Saturday, September 17. Once again a large amount of trash was removed. This cleanup was an opportunity to give back to the river we love so much. The Great American River Cleanup is an annual event, organized by the American River Parkway Foundation, which provides everything you need to do the job. Last year 1550 volunteers removed 20,000 pounds of debris. This is a great activity to do with the whole family. We hope you will participate in the next cleanup at Sutter’s Landing or just show up and offer to help. It takes all of us to keep the River clean and healthy.*********************

Donations Welcome!!

Any support you can give will be very welcome and help us continue offering our monthly nature gatherings. We are a very small organization; we're not a 501c3 so your donation is not tax deductible, but your support is very much appreciated. Send your check, payable to FOSL (Friends of Sutter’s Landing), to PO Box 162644, Sacramento, CA 95816. (NOTE: FORB doesn’t have a bank account so please make checks out to FOSL (Friends of Sutters Landing)—all money will go to FORB.)

Parkway Passport to Nature

The Effie Yeaw Nature Center is offering a 4-session program designed to connect families to nature at various locations along the lower Aemrican River Parkway. The first program will be this Saturday, July 23, at the Woodlake area, led by Guy Galante. $10/adult; $5/child per session. http://sacnaturecenter.net/parkwaypassport.html

June 11 8 PM: Bats Bats Bats! Meet our neighborhood bats. On Saturday, June 11, we gathered at 8 p.m. to learn all about bats. JoEllen Arnold, our local bat expert, brought her bat echolocation detectors and explained which bat species we’re hearing. Best of all,she brought live bats. This was a great opportunity to get to know the bats in our neighborhood and the good things they do. See the FORB Blog for report.​​Recent FORB Gathering: Going on a mushroom hunt…Lucky us—we went on a mushroom hunt! Our favorite fungi expert, Ryan LaPorte, generously agreed to lead another walk to look for mushrooms and other fungi on Saturday, Feb 13. For the last few years, fungi have been fewer and farther between at Sutter’s Landing. Those who attended learned more about this rich group and their importance in ecosystems and in our lives. We even got to sleep in later with an 11 am—later than usual—be sure to join us next time and come down to the river for another fun FORB gathering. ​See the FORB Blog for reports on recent events.

​Photos from last year’s mushroom hunt (thanks, Robert):

Photo from last years event by Robert Sewell

Photo from last years event by Robert Sewell

Young Great-horned owl that fledged across the river from Sutter's Landing Park this spring. Photo courtesy Kathy Kayner

What's New?

It was another busy nesting season again with reports of kestrels, red-tail & red-shouldered hawks as well as at least one active Swainson's hawk nest all seen from around Sutter's Landing Park. Other sightings include California quail, Ash-throated flycatchers, Bushtits, Black-headed grosbeak, rattlesnake and more. Clearly, there's lots to see at the park any time of year!

There is much activity swirling around Sutter's Landing Park these days, but no one knows how these various factors will play out. Numerous projects, activities, plans, visions, and events could, would, or will impact Sutter's Landing. These include the approved solar array, proposed McKinley Village, Caltrans train maintenance facility, recent fires upriver, City plans, homeless activities, the $1.5 million grant improvements, a proposed BMX pump track, and more. Pressures from nearby developments like Township 9 will also have an impact on the park. FORB, along with Friends of Sutter's Landing (FOSL), continue to monitor these issues and will keep you posted.

Our consistent message is that Sutter's Landing Park should be a nature-oriented park for all to enjoy. All activities and facilities sited there must be compatible with that vision. Our vision is a large one: restore and enhance the natural values for the entire park, expand the park by acquiring adjoining parcels as they become available, use creative means and new technology to reclaim the landfill. We want the park to include public art, interpretive information, picnic and gathering areas, a nature-themed children's play area, nature center, viewing platform, non-motorized boat launch, hiking trails, and a connection to the bike trail. We are asking the City to revisit the current inadequate Master Plan for Sutter's Landing and work collaboratively with public stakeholders to create a new plan.

There is a lot to see and do at all times of year. Be sure to check our blog link above for more information including recent observations at Sutter's Landing Park.

We've compiled information about wildlife and plants at Sutter's Landing. Gathered over more than the last 5 years, this information paints a picture of a natural community that is thriving despite proximity to the urban population and a degraded environment. This information will be updated as new sightings are made and will help us document the value of this area for wildlife and plants as we work to restore Sutter's Landing to its natural condition. It will also help with a baseline to measure improvement.

There are some extremely important current events that will affect the future of Sutter's Landing Park. FORB is participating with Friends of Sutter's Landing (FOSL) in developing a long-term vision for the greater Park area. A copy of the vision is available on the "Important Issues" webpage. Along with this effort, we worked with the City of Sacramento to successfully get a $1.5 million grant that includes major renovations and habitat restoration (including a restroom) for the park (see the blog post on 11/26/12). There will be volunteer opportunities to help implement restoration work of the grant.

In May 2013, the City Council approved a 4-acre solar array in the middle of Sutter's Landing Park, despite objections from FORB and FOSL that this was an inappropriate place to site the array. We attempted to work with the City to place the solar array along the railroad tracks and on top of structures and parking lots. We will continue to work with the City to encourage a larger vision that takes the spectacular natural values of the area into account.picnic and gathering areas, nature-themed children's play area,

There is a lot to see and do at all times of year. Be sure to check our blog link above for more information including recent observations at Sutter's Landing Park.

We've compiled information about wildlife and plants at Sutter's Landing. Gathered over more than the last 5 years, this information paints a picture of a natural community that is thriving despite proximity to the urban population and a degraded environment. This information will be updated as new sightings are made and will help us document the value of this area for wildlife and plants as we work to restore Sutter's Landing to its natural condition. It will also help with a baseline to measure improvement.

There are some extremely important current events that will affect the future of Sutter's Landing Park. FORB is participating with Friends of Sutter's Landing (FOSL) in developing a long-term vision for the greater Park area. A copy of the vision is available on the "Important Issues" webpage. Along with this effort, we worked with the City of Sacramento to successfully get a $1.5 million grant that includes major renovations and habitat restoration (including a restroom) for the park (see the blog post on 11/26/12). There will be volunteer opportunities to help implement restoration work of the grant.

In May 2013, the City Council approved a 4-acre solar array in the middle of Sutter's Landing Park, despite objections from FORB and FOSL that this was an inappropriate place to site the array. We attempted to work with the City to place the solar array along the railroad tracks and on top of structures and parking lots. We will continue to work with the City to encourage a larger vision that takes the spectacular natural values of the area into account.